


Amarant Under Siege

by FightTheThorn



Category: Final Fantasy IX
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Light Bondage, Pirates, Pride, Rope Bondage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-07-29 19:50:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7697332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FightTheThorn/pseuds/FightTheThorn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amarant is a wanderer. A wanderer without a job, thanks to Zidane's interference in his life. He takes a job without thinking much on it, his reputation needs the boost and he needs the Gil. Turns out, it's not exactly going according to plan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Pride Before the Fall

**Author's Note:**

> A friend and I were discussing Amarant Coral, one of my favourite characters from Final Fantasy IX, and how there's not a lot of him in... precarious situations. Well, that or him anywhere. I know a good deal of the fandom ships him with Freya (which I'm 100% okay with), but I really like writing solo adventure stuff lately (see Daryl's Binding Situation, Silent Hills, etc). We were discussing piracy as well, and I really got stoked to start this story. It's been a while since I wrote anything for myself, so this was fun! 
> 
> I know there aren't a lot of Final Fantasy IX fans who are active in the community, but this was for me. I hope you all enjoy the story anyway and how it plays out. Please let me know what you think!

Jobs came by rarely these days. Of course, it might have something to do with a certain thief messing up his professional career and saddling him with a warrant for his arrest. 

As an abnormal human being, Amarant scared most people he came across. His blue skin in addition to his large arms, violently red hair all naturally curled and abundant, red chin-strap beard, and a glare that could paralyze any foe, Amarant’s warrant seemed plausible to many citizens. 

Not only that, but his betrayal of Brahne to save a mere child might have given him some pull with the ladies, but much less with clients looking for obedient mercenaries for hire. It was hard to get the job when he disobeyed the mission objective just because it didn’t work with his moral code.

Thankfully he found a job protecting a precious diamond relic to Treno. Or... better to say the job found _him_. 

A merchant approached him talking about all the problems with pirates on the open seas and skies and how his cargo was constantly being stolen. He would pay handsomely to anyone who would guard a special item for him. The other cargo, such as silks and food, paled in comparison with the price of such an artefact. 

Amarant needed to travel by sea, protect and bring the relic to the merchant, and get paid for his hard work. 

There would be a crew and they would take care of everything else. 

Easy.

Amarant agreed to take the job. Not too many prospects for him to consider, plus, he could take a few pirates. He wasn’t overly prideful of his own skills, but he knew he could handle. Besides, he could finally fix his reputation among the community. If he succeeded, he’d be back in good standing, or on his way to it anyway.

With the agreement of half up front and half on completion, Amarant took the job. 

He traveled to Alexandria, where the ship would dock and leave for Treno carrying a good ten or so people. It wasn’t a particularly expensive or luxurious ship, but it looked sturdy. 

Amarant paused, glancing over his shoulder to see his client running toward him package in hand. 

“Guard this with your life. It’s very important.” The merchant smiled, handing it off to him. “I’m trusting you to take care of this. A big… scary guy like you should be able to handle all the monsters of the sea.”

Amarant nodded soberly. “Worry not. I’ll bring this relic safe to Treno.”

The merchant smiled and nodded. “Don’t forget to take it to the Weapons Shop. I feel this is all in good hands.” 

Amarant nodded curtly and headed toward the ship. He boarded it, long bulging arms swinging at his side like clubs as he walked. He paused at the bow, looking up at the sky. The sun shining up above, the seagulls called as they soared over, and the sky was a nice clear blue. A surge of energy filled Amarant. This was going to be a good voyage. The world, by Amarant’s standards, would be made right. He would fix all the trouble the monkey put him in.

The boat wasn’t large. Its only design was to ship cargo back and forth, but couldn’t handle any battle capabilities. No cannons, no guns, no… anything. Amarant wondered if the crew could even wield a blade. There was only the cargo hold below and a small wooden cabin around the engine and helm.

He made his way down to the lower cabin while the ship’s crew ran around readying for the voyage. Amarant’s piercing blue eyes peeked out from under his large coiled hair as he searched the cargo room. No windows, just boxes and more boxes. He noted the few spaces where he could see the walls were d-rings used to strap in cargo for the long haul. Quite a few were already in use. His eyes raised up to see the large beams, noting they were sturdy, thankfully. 

Amarant thumped his way over to the other side of the room. He placed the box down and pried the box open with his massive hands. It popped open without damaging the box or the relic inside. Peeking inside, Amarant raised an eyebrow at how the diamond glimmered in the light from the swinging overhead lamp. He appreciated the beauty of the relic, closed the box, and tapped the nail back in with his thumb. 

He nodded his head thoughtfully, positioning the box between some of the other cargo to keep it still before he sat down, folding his arms and staring at the door.


	2. Old Friends Come to Roost

Hours in, Amarant stayed vigilant, but relatively lazy. He hadn't fallen asleep, but he allowed his thoughts to wander aimlessly. 

He wasn't the best thinker. He often misunderstood his partners and employers’ interest and intention or allowed his own wishes to cloud his understanding. He followed Brahne’s kill wish only because he wanted to get back at his enemy. What if this relic did something akin to hurting another being? Would it cause problems? Did Amarant care?

He shook his head free of stupid thoughts, pushing himself up to stand and massaging a kink from his shoulder. It didn’t matter. Amarant’s life stayed in the grey, there was no reason to muddle the white and black of his moral code into it. 

There were shouts above, then screaming, followed by a sharp thud directly above him on the deck. 

Amarant’s gaze stopped on the only door down into the cargo hold. He readied for battle, padding toward the stairs and up the small steps leading up to the deck. He stood quietly and listened, ear pressed to the door. 

“Find that relic! This boat isn't going anywhere, but we can't miss it. Let's go, let's go!” The voice sounded familiar, a woman’s shrill, but it had a masculine undertone. She sounded violent and strong. Amarant would have to look out for her. 

The door opened suddenly and Amarant reacted on instinct. He grabbed the pirate by the face with one hand, muffling his shout of surprise, and punching him hard in the stomach, followed by a knee to his face. The man crumpled and tumbled down the stairs. 

The door opened completely and three men stood there looking at him in mild shock. He noted, however, they weren't too surprised to see he was _there_ , but rather how quickly he had incapacitated one of their friends. Their shock turned into smirks as they moved forward, knives and short daggers at the ready. 

Amarant found fighting in small quarters difficult, especially on a staircase; so he retreated into the room further, closer to the relic. Like hell he was going to let these bastards screw him over. 

The men rushed down the stairs after him. Amarant punched the first down unconscious, falling onto the previous assailant. He followed it up by knocking out the other two by smashing their heads together. Either pirate falling to his side.

Another came soon after, and Amarant took to throwing his weapons. It was like a tournament, each man came down to join the fray, to join the dead and unconscious bodies in the room. 

Except, they kept coming and coming and coming. Amarant lost count when he landed a disk into a pirate’s face and reached back to find that the disk was his last weapon.

He felt his body begin to give into exhaustion by the time he felled what must have been the 30th crew member. Amarant slumped to the ground on one knee, breathing heavily. 

“Well, well, if it isn't the Flaming Amarant.” 

Amarant raised his eyes to see the woman he recognised before. Lani, a terrible axe weirder with a penchant for doing things off the book. 

“Ah, it's the cowardly hostage taker.” Amarant pulled himself to stand, holding himself like he wasn't exhausted, like he wasn't tired, like he wasn't almost out of options. His body dripped with sweat, small beads rolling down his face. This wasn’t going to go well. Lani was hard to beat at his _best_ , but now that he was exhausted, probably her plan, he might actually lose.

She scowled at him and let out a snarl. “You _dare_ mention the time you _betrayed_ me?” Lani heaved the large great axe from her shoulder and let it slice into the wood below. 

Amarant chuckled, resuming his fighting stance. His eyes scanned the bodies surrounding him, but he found nothing to grab, so fists were his next best weapon. He’d already gone through staves and bombs, potions and ethers, and other various concoctions. Gil was all he had left, but that might work.

He flipped out a few coins of Gil from his pouch and juggled them in one hand, the other hand balled in a fist and ready to strike. 

“Won't be able to buy yourself out of this one,” Lani’s grin widened sadistically. “You're just lucky we're not here to kill you.”

Amarant didn't wait for further explanation, he threw his Gil one at a time at Lani with terrible speed. They hit her square in the face, a bullseye one right after the other. 

It was his last four Gil, and his last weapon. He fell to the floor, feeling his fatigue settle in again, resting on both knees this time. Amarant looked up to see that although Lani had staggered, she pulled herself up and put a hand to her head where the coins hit. 

No more acting tough, he supposed. 

Lani screamed behind her, finger pointed at him. “Men! Tie him up!”

Two men came down with wicked smirks, rope in hand. They paused as they made their way down the stairs, seeing the bodies Amarant piled up around him, but continued, seeing the state he was in. 

Amarant swallowed, gasping more for air than in worry. He couldn’t fight the two as they walked over and manhandled him, forcing his arms in front of him and binding them skillfully with large thick black rope; looping over then under.

He watched helplessly as they took the rest of the rope and tossed it over the beam above him, pulling it until Amarant’s arms raised high and he staggered to stand. The pulled the rope taunt before tying it off to a d-ring on the other side of the room.

Amarant felt the strain in his shoulders, his arms taking on most of the weight. He grunted and pulled at the rope, testing it. “Still dirty.”

Lani was furious. “What are you trying to say? You saying I look dirty?”

He scoffed. “I'm saying you're a unhonourable prick who'd kill her own mother if her client offered more more money.”

She huffed, raising her chin and puffing out her chest. “I don't have such meaningless things to hold me back.” Lani pulled the axe from the floor and rest the pole on her shoulder. “However… our orders were to capture you alive.” She waved a hand. “Despite my better judgement.” Amarant watched as Lani walked passed him. “Where is it?”

“Where is what?” Amarant scowled, feigning ignorance. 

She grabbed him by his full head of hair and pulled it back. “The _relic_ , you idiot.”

“Not here.” Amarant shrugged, smiling a little. 

Lani let him go and scanned the room. “One of these things is not like the others…” She spoke in a sing-song voice, sauntering over to the box Amarant tried to hide and picked it up. 

He cursed under his breath, but paused when he saw Lani just walk passed him again, heading for the door. “You're capturing me by… leaving me here?”

Lani glanced back and frowned. “You’re right… we aren’t quite finished here.” She snapped her fingers and pointed at Amarant. “Add a little more.”

One of the men walked back over and forced a cloth between Amarant’s teeth, tying the ends tightly behind his head. 

He grunted in discomfort, biting down hard in his frustration. Damn. Amarant could’ve taken 30 men, but apparently they were disposable, and he fell prey to a nasty trick. 

The moment the door closed, Amarant began to struggle. His frustration and anger renewed his energy. He thrashed and pulled at the rope, but it offered very little give. 

He bit down again, shifting his hands in their bonds to see if he might slip out. 

Amarant felt fury bubble up in his chest. He could beat Lani if it went his way, but she never was one to play fair. How could he not see the endless enemies were a ploy to weaken him before it was too late? 

He was a failure as a guard.


	3. Chapter 3

He slumped a little, letting out a groan of pain as the weight shifted completely onto his arms again. Amarant made no progress on his bonds; his unusually thick arms and hands, made the possibility of getting free rather impossible. 

The floors above him creaked as he heard Lani walking with her crew. What was left of them, anyway. She left her fallen men and probably boarded her ship soon after, heading who knows where. 

He could hear the waves crashing against the ship and wondered if there were any crew left. The best assumption was no. Lani wasn’t one for mercy. So, if he couldn’t get free, he’d die one way or another. 

The ship lurched and Amarant felt his stomach drop. 

Death never scared him much before. He always assumed he’d go down fighting, but… not helpless. Not tricked and made to be the fool. Drowned in his miserable attempt to fix his pride and reputation. 

The floor above creaked. 

Amarant raised his head, listening. Did someone return? Maybe a crewman survived somehow.

The footsteps padded across the ship’s surface, heading to the lower cargo area where Amarant was bound. 

The door opened and Zidane Tribal walked down the stairs. Zidane was a small monkey faced guy, bright blond hair, and a long monkey tail. It swung at his feet excitedly, swayed by the thrill its owner felt. He wore bright blue clothes with white frills, and large boots. He looked too high-class to be a thief.

Zidane looked around the cabin, deeply impressed. His eyes noted the dead bodies and whistled. He paused on seeing Amarant. “Amarant?” He grinned, eyeing him with pleasure. “Never thought I’d see you like... this. Didn’t know you were taking _these_ kinds of jobs.” Zidane didn’t rush to free him; he took his time looking around at the bodies and picked up Amarant’s discarded Gil along the way. “So… what’s going on?” He reached up and pulled the gag out, letting it rest around Amarant’s neck.

Amarant, now able to speak, said nothing for a moment or two. He gave each word thought. Zidane liked to poke fun at him, liked to give him a hard time. A small part of him remembered how Zidane acted in their last journey together. Zidane was all smoke and mirrors. 

But when it came down to it, Amarant would need his help. 

“Do me a favour.” 

Zidane snickered. “Alright, I’ll untie you-.”

Amarant shook his head. “No. I got myself in this. I’ll get myself out. I don’t need your help.” 

The thief stopped, just a little out of reach due to his short stature. He was about to search for a box to stand on, but stopped. “What? Amarant, I was kidding about the whole ‘enjoying it’ bit. You don’t need to be stubborn.”

“Shut up a minute.” Amarant rolled his eyes. “Lani came in and stole my package.” 

Zidane cocked his head, hands on his hips. “You mean the diamond? Yeah, I heard you were protecting it.” He rubbed his cheek thoughtfully. “If she’s got it, she’s probably going to…”

“I don’t care.” Amarant scowled. “I want you to go, beat her up, grab the diamond, and give it back to me.” He looked away. “I… failed this mission. I don’t deserve to be paid. But…” The waves sloshed around outside, drifting in from the open door. “I need to follow through with this job.”

A moment of silence. 

“Y’know, Amarant. You’re good people.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Sure, I’ll go grab your diamond back for you. Just don’t expect me to ask you to marry me, ‘kay?” Zidane pointed a thumb at himself and posed with pride. 

“Get going.” Amarant murmured, gesturing to the door with a sharp nod of his head. 

Zidane nodded and was about to head out when he stopped at the stair. “Are you… sure you don’t want me to untie you? The crew is dead and you don’t exactly look like you’ll be getting free any time soon.” 

Amarant shook his head. “No, actually, I want you to gag me again too.”

The thief stood in shock. “What is _with_ you? Are you like… getting off on this or something?”

“I fought; I lost. I need to free myself. This,” he gestured to his restraints, “is on me. The diamond is for the client. Do it and go.”

Zidane shrugged his shoulders in defeat and clomped back over. He replaced the gag and even tightened it a little so it would stay in place better. “If you wanted a challenge, just ask me later. Bet I could tie some better knots. Won’t even charge you.”

Amarant growled something from behind the gag, but Zidane simply snickered and headed out. 

Zidane turned around at the door and waved. “Alright, have fun!” 

Amarant watched as the door closed and waited until the footsteps above faded. He looked up at the rope and tried to come up with a plan. 

He tried not to think about how stupid he was, not accepting Zidane’s offer to free him or take him to Lani to get the package back. His pride put him in bad situations… current predicament included. Amarant shook his head, attempting to focus on the problem. 

The way he was set up, it’d be difficult to get free. He could barely stay on his feet at this point, but the chat with Zidane gave him a nice break. Enough that he had more energy to work with now. His eyes searched the room analytically. A few options rose to the forefront of his mind, then were dashed just as they came. Amarant looked up at the rope, followed it up and over the beam where it was tied a few feet away. 

He grunted, moving to see if he could reach the knot on the d-ring. Amarant fell short a foot or so, meaning he’d have to get a sharp object of some sort and cut the rope and bring him to a better position. 

The ship shook against the waves and rocked violently. A dagger wedged under a body came free and stopped a foot away from Amarant. He grunted triumphantly, straining the rope as he tried to reach it with his foot. A kick to loosen his shoe gave him the extra inch he needed to grab the knife. He rushed it to him and caught it with his other shoe. 

Amarant let his shoe fall off and took the knife’s handle with his big toe and second, gripping it tight as he turned again to face the rope. He hurried to start cutting the rope free. Every few slices Amarant had to reestablish his hold on the knife and go at it again. 

The weight of his body snapped the rope suddenly and Amarant toppled to the floor. 

He grunted and groaned as his body finally felt relief. Amarant muffled his distaste of Lani once more and maneuvered his hands down enough to remove the gag.

Amarant searched for the dagger and couldn’t find it. He must’ve dropped it when he fell and the ship’s lurching caused it to vanish. Without a knife in sight, he set to biting the rope. He’d only need to bite one of the coils loose to free himself. 

It took a good chunk of time, more than Amarant liked, but the rope finally came free and Amarant took a moment to rub his wrists and arms where the rope had indented his skin. 

The ship lurched again and Amarant felt as if it was his time to vacate the ship. 

He snarled loudly, feeling every muscle cry out in pain as he tried to stand. “Just a little longer…” Amarant murmured, picking up a few of his weapons as he walked to the stairs. A few shakes made him almost lose his balance, but he steadied himself and made it up to the deck. His eyes scanned the ship.

It had taken on water and was tipping bad. All the crew’s bodies were piled near the edge of the ship; the movement of the ship probably brought them all together there. Amarant calmly looked around for a lifeboat he could use to get to Treno. It didn’t take long to locate, and he staggered over, getting inside and lowering himself down into the water.

Make sail for Treno.


	4. Chapter 4

“Here’s your diamond.” Amarant put the box on the weapon shop’s counter and pushed it toward him. “My client said I’d receive the rest of my money on delivery.” 

He didn’t look good. His body covered in scrapes and bruises. What little of Amarant’s eyes the shopkeeper could see were black from exhaustion. 

“Uh… what?” The man rubbed the back of his neck and looked nervously from the box to the back room. “You… brought the diamond?” He opened the box and saw it sitting there, nice and safe on black silk. “Impossible… but… the pirates-”

“They’re taken care of. They, at least, won’t be bothering you or your ship. Although, the crewmen are dead. Pirates took care of that.” Amarant held out his hand. “I would like the rest of my payment, please.”

“Y-yes, of course. Good work.” The man reached under the counter and pulled out a pouch. He handed it to Amarant.

Amarant took it and walked away. He glanced up and saw Zidane hiding above him in the ceiling. 

Zidane winked at him. 

He shrugged it off. Zidane always planned on stealing the diamond. Amarant was surprised he gave the diamond back to him at all. Maybe… Zidane realised the importance of this mission to Amarant. 

A little while later, Zidane met him in the Treno inn, a black pouch tied to his belt. They sat at a wooden table on the second floor, drinks in hand, drinking to Amarant’s success. 

“Y’know, they didn’t plan for you to succeed.”

Amarant nodded. “I know. I suppose my reputation as a failure drew them to me. They wanted proof they were safeguarding it, hiring me to guard the relic, so they wouldn’t have to give up the diamond, but would receive their payment. They didn’t expect me to actually put up a fight for it.”

Zidane nodded. “I think the weapon’s shop keeper wasn’t expecting it to come through. Bet he figured out their plan and cut it as a loss. Never expected to actually get it from you directly.” He smiled. “That should help your reputation a little.” 

His friend sat quietly for a minute, drinking from his cup. “I…” Another pause. “Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. I screwed you over before, got you fired. The job you took from Brahne should’ve been easy, but we made it hard for you. I think the least I could do is repay you for being an upstanding citizen.” Zidane raised a cup, and when Amarant wouldn’t follow suit, clinked their cups together anyway and drank.

Amarant glanced at the pouch, but said nothing. 

Zidane did him a great service. And Amarant completed his mission. And, for the most part, Amarant had retained his pride. 

The day was a good one.

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own Amarant, Zidane, Lani, or any of the Final Fantasy franchise.


End file.
